Twine-holder.



No. 817,143. PATENTED APR. 3, 1906. O. S. GAGE.

TWINE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1905.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3,1906.

Application filed April 6, 1905. Serial No. 254,092.

' such devices which are secured in elevated positions over a counter and are provided withmeans for automatically elevating the string or twine so that it will be out of the way of goods on the counter, but within reach of the clerk or other person desiring to draw upon the supply. A common form of device of this character comprises a support for a ball or cop of twine and aweighted lever, the twinebeing led through suitable eyes to the end of the lever, which is normally uppermost, the twine depending loosely from said end of the lever, where it may be reached and drawn downward, the lever moving with the twine and then lifting the latter again when the twine is released.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved device of the last-mentioned type having a hollow support for the supply-ball, whereby the twine may pass from said ball through said support to the take-up lever, the said support affording not only means for steadying the ball in place without obstructing the vView as to the amount of supply, but also serving as a guide that will pre-' vent the passing twine from contact with the unwinding coil.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the fulcrum of the lever may be adjusted so as to raise the twine to higher or lower points, as may be desired, and to also adjust the lever so that it may properly counterbalance twine of different weights.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view of one form of twine-holder embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a detail perspective view of an other means for obtaining the adjustment as hereinafter described.

The twine-holder comprises a bracket and a take-up lever, the bracket as a whole consisting of the vertical hollow support or tube at, having two or more arms 1) extending therefrom, a suitable suspension-loop cbeing connected with the outer ends ofthe arms and having means, such as a hook (Z, whereby the bracket may be suspended froma ceiling or other overhead support. The tube a is preferably tapered, as indicated, although not necessarily so. The lower end shouldbe large enough, however, to afford propersupport for the take-up lever, as presently described. The upper end of the tube is of a size to conveniently enter the central hole of a ball of twine, so that said ball will be supported by the tube against lateral movement while resting on the arms I). The ball may of course be of any shape on the market, whether in the form of a sphere, cylinder, or cop. The upper end of the tube is open or formed with an opening to permit the twine e from the ball to pass into the tube, and said tube is formed with a lower openingf to permit the twineto pass out to the take-up lever.

The lower end of the tube portion of the bracket is formed with a vertical slot g, and, as shown in Fig. 1, a vertical series of holes h are formed each side of the slot.

A lever i, having an eye 70 at its tapered end and suitably weighted at the other end, as at Z, is provided with a plurality of holes m. A bolt or cotter-pin n is passed through either of the holes of the series h and m, thus varying the height to which the u per end of the lever will normallyswing and also varying the position of the fulcrum relatively to the two ends of the lever, so that the weight will properly counterbalance the twine depending from the eye 7c, according to the depending length and size of the twine. The lever is shown as having another eye 0 near its fulcrum.

When the lever is in one of its upper adjusted positions, its limit of oscillations will be restricted. For instance, in the form shown in Fig. 1 the upper end. of the slot .9

serves as the limiting means when the upper. edge of the lever at either side of the pivot comes in contact with said upper end of the slot. Of course if the pin a were placed in the upper hole h the twine-carrying end of the lever could not swing either as far up or as far down as when the pivot-pin is in one of the lower holes.

Other means for effecting the adjustment of the lever may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

As shown in Fig. 2, the sides of the lower end of the tube part of the bracket are slotted, as at p, and a pin or bolt similar to that shown in Fig. 1 has its outer end threaded and provided with a wing-nut g. This form is practically the same as that in Fig, 1 except that the vertical adjustment of the ful crum pin or bolt is provided for by slots 19 instead of by a series of holes h.

Having now described my invention, I claim 1. A twine-holder comprising a tube, arms projecting therefrom and forming a support for a ball of twine on the tube, a suspensionloop connected with said arms, and a take-up lever pivotally connectedwith the tube below said arms, the tube having an opening below the arms for the passage of twine to the takeup lever.

2. A twine-holder comprising a bracket having a support for the twine, and a weighted lever adjustably connected to said bracket, said holder having means for varying the limit of the oscillations of the lever according to its adjustment relatively to the bracket.

3. A twine holder comprising a bracket having a support for the twine, and a weighted lever pivotally connected with the bracket, means being provided to vary the position of the pivot vertically in relation to the bracket and longitudinally of the lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR S. GAGE.

Witnesses:

A. W. BUT'rs, MILEs FOWLER. 

